25 knot close reach to Stuart Island weekend

Wow it was great to have Aeolus back in Friday Harbor so we could take her out for the long weekend to Stuart and Jones. It had been since last summer that we were at these favorite places because we had brought Aeolus down to Bainbridge after Desolation Sound last summer. So distance had made our hearts grow fonder (hard to increase upon our previous devotion to these places) and we anxiously returned to our favorite waters.

Single reef in place, close reach in 25 knots

On Saturday morning we left our slip and raised sail just off Point Caution in promising winds. Soon enough we were in the teeth of a 20 knot wind with gusts to 25 and it was coming from the West. Strong west winds are really nice in San Juan Channel because you can be on a reach going north or south. The 25 knot gusts on a close reach were making us fly right along, but also making my family a bit nervous, so I went forward and put a reef in our main and furled up the genoa a bit. With one reef and a partial genoa we returned to our heading toward Spieden Island and had a wonderful sail at near hull speed all the way.

Twin Disc MG 360-New transmission for Aeolus

Note: The post below tells the story of choosing and installing the Twin Disc MG360. I've unfortunately learned the hard way that this transmission will corrode badly if you install it like it is. My Hurth never showed a speck of rust after 20 years, but Twin Disc for some indefensible reason has built this transmission out of metals that corrode aggressively. I've been told after reporting this problem to Twin Disc that they recommend painting the transmission and shifting mechanisms before install. BE WARNED. See my later post for pictures of the corrosion.

Among the more significant decisions any sailor can make is how they propel their boat. Sails and rigging are huge, obviously, and yet the engine/transmission might in fact be higher on the list of anxieties given their importance at key times. Here in the Northwest, we are blessed with the finest cruising grounds in North America, and plenty of winds here and there. And yet, in our summer months we are often calm, and even in winter, we can go days with less than 10 knots. Because we have such a cornucopia of islands, each not far from the other, and because our currents are tremendous, regularly exceeding 5-10 knots, we are unable to rely upon sails alone to travel safely.

Twin Disc MG 360 right out of the box. Note separate oil fill.

Making storage pockets-Gratitude to Don Casey

I've just completed yet another project with the help of Don Casey. When I think back on all the things I have learned from his books, I am left with a tremendous amount of gratitude. Any teacher who helps us learn something interesting or useful has our gratitude and rightfully so. But when it comes to a sailboat, there are just so many, many things to know, and the consequences of error can be so high, that a good teacher is priceless.

That's a fleece hat in the right pocket. There are four pockets total, each 5" wide.

Mr. Casey, I have never met you, and you will never read this, but thank you. Truly thank you. I maintain our boat myself, and I've learned so very, very much from your books that I could not begin to articulate the totality of it. From diesels, to paint, to rigging, to electronics, to sewing, I have learned things from you that have made my boat, and my skills, far better.

This latest Don Casey inspired project was to make new storage pockets for Aeolus. Like on most boats, there are a million little things to store, and some of them you access quite frequently. Also like with most boats, the places to store things are deep, dark and far away. For things like your sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm, your iphone, a warm hat, sailing gloves--for these things, you would like them to be readily identifiable and available.

Enter this project.

Perfect trip to Friday Harbor and Mantus proves itself again

Well we are just back from our trip to Friday Harbor and it went perfectly. Delivering Aeolus back to her home waters was as much a symbolic triumph as an actual accomplishment. I cannot adequately describe how great it felt to pull into the side of Lopez Island on our way into Lopez Pass, and to know we were back in these northern parts of the Salish Sea.

Friday afternoon gave me an opportunity to begin the trip by taking Aeolus north from Blakely Harbor on Bainbridge up to Port Madison, also on Bainbridge. I anchored out, which was somewhat tricky in the congested confines of that harbor, and soon Amy and the boys returned from piano practice to join me aboard for dinner. There is something so wonderful about being at anchor, and to feel the gentle shifts and movements of the hull in the sea. Like a leaf falling, or a cloud swaying, it is melodic in tune with rhythms beyond our reckoning.

The boys in Port Townsend on Saturday. We love river otters! Yes, despite their havoc on boats...